Hain Xil
"Hello. I am Hain and I'm pleased to meet you. Hmm, yes, interesting. You fit just so. I have been consumed by my research for the last few years, but I'm now very close to answers. And the answers are not going to please humanity. Oh no indeed. By The Four Fates, our paths are destined to intertwine, I can see that. So, where are you traveling? I will join you for six cycles of the pale egret and re-read the signs. When do we start?" First Impressions Hain's tanned weather-beaten skin looks stretched over a battered old boot of a face. He sports a dark brown top-knot and full mustache. His pale brown eyes seem to constantly seek answers in his surroundings, and his ears are pierced with small silver rings. He is painfully thin, his muscles defined like high tensile lashings, and he looks like he could lope along for weeks. Hain constantly fidgets or twitches, except if he is concentrating absolutely on something, when he completely motionless. He has an unnerving habit of stretching and manipulating his joints beyond what a human should be capable of, which is testament to his resolute fitness regime and his double-jointedness. Hain dresses humbly in plain loose-fitting linen clothes and a woolen blanket that is looped in an intricate configuration around his torso to provide warmth or protection from sun or wind. Hain carries very little except for a map case and a smooth yew quarterstaff, which is slightly sharpened at one end. Hain's hands and feet are tattooed with thousands of tiny, intricate runes and symbols in four colors: green; black; blue; and red. Some of the hieroglyphs track up his limbs to mid-calf or elbow. Numerous long pale scars crisscross, or perhaps link, the symbols together. Gibberish, or the work of an unconstrained genius? Hain will tell you the latter, although he resolutely refuses to explain the cypher. What Hain's Friends Know During his years as a hermit tending the ruins, he established his own unique philosophy: 1) Everything is linked; 2) sentient beings tend towards evil and chaos and can only be held at bay by discipline and wisdom; 3) only by mastering oneself can one master everything else. Hain developed a complex, intricate symbolic language based on the elements of earth, air, fire and water, which he calls W.H.O.L.E. (Worldwide Holistic Observations Linking Everything). He believes that everything is linked and irrevocably leads to a cataclysmic event, which only he can stop, and only if his understanding is complete. He journals his observations on his own skin, working from his extremities to his core, using his intricate tattooist skill to produce his tiny unique script. He also cross-links different symbols together by cutting himself with a razor-sharp blade, which heal to form white scarred lines. Years of meditation and yoga coupled with his own uniquely disciplined set of balance, tumbling and running exercises has resulted in unparalleled flexibility and fitness. He routinely spends 2 hours per day repeating these drills, longer if he is not traveling.